iTunes?

Jason Wright <jasonwright365 at gmail.com> writes:
> Very true. Despite what Apple says, DRM was never about elimiting
> pirates. Bittorrent, and others still exist. It is about "eliminating
> legitimate competition, hobbling interoperability, and creating de
> facto technology monopolies" (see
>http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2009/01/apple-shows-us-drms-true-colors )
Heh. I love how that article starts out saying that DRM is a card that
content rights holders have been playing against Apple, and then goes on
to blame all the other DRM Apple uses on Apple itself. The fact is, DRM
*is* about legal leverage, but I'll bet that Apple is on the receiving
end of that leverage as much or more as the giving end. Apple is
playing the game, but they're not the root cause, and I'll bet they'd be
just as happy to play in a field that didn't include DRM.
This situation is analogous to the patent situation. Software patents
are completely screwed up, yet a smart company MUST play the game in
order to remain competitive in the market. Some may play nicer than
others, but it's hard to be a competitive business and avoid the wrath
of the EFF/FSF zealots.
--Levi